Five Rivers Leisure Centre, Hulse Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3NR
All change in the Card-World, for we found ourselves off to the Five Rivers Leisure Centre, at Salisbury, in Wiltshire, on different days to those announced, and also a little later in the month than originally planned.
We have visited this beautiful Cathedral City before, for our 2021 Convention, and it was very popular then as well.
This time round we thought we would give you a little Cartophilic Celebration of another local landmark, the Cathedral.
And you will not be able to miss this one as it is the most visible sight in the area.
It is beautifully depicted on this card from Carreras Ltd`s 1939 set of "Do You Know", where the reverse text tells us that "The Cathedral Church of St. Mary, at Salisbury, has the tallest medieval spire in England. It is 404 ft high, and its slender grace provides a landmark over miles of Wiltshire country."
What it does not mention is that this is not the original Cathedral. That once stood two miles away, on top of an Iron Age hill fort which we now call Old Sarum, and there was a castle there, too. both built by William the Conqueror after his successful invasion of England in 1066.
At first it was just a castle, but in 1075 Archbishop Lanfranc ordered the Bishop to build a Cathedral too. This was completed in 1091, by which time the original Bishop had died.
This first Cathedral saw much activity. It was a centre for book writing, and book binding, and today we believe that this led to the Domesday Book being partially written there as well, in 1086.
However, in the thirteenth century, things started to change. There was conflict with the castle, and the priests were uncertain that siting the military and religious areas together was such a good idea. Then there was a period of very stormy weather, and problems with the water supply. All these were taken as signs, and so, in 1217, the decision was made to move out. They had to get permission from the Pope to do this, but he agreed.
Work on the new Cathedral started straight away and the foundation stones were laid on 28 April 1220. This is mentioned on the Carreras card, which tells us that "Salisbury Cathedral was begun in 1220, and consecrated in 1258, but the tower and spire were not completed until the 14th Century."
All the time, the town of Salisbury was slowly being built around this new Cathedral, under the direction of yet another Bishop, Richard Poore, who is mentioned by name on B. Morris` "British Views". That text also tells us how "The city itself, clustering around the cathedral, preserves much of its medieval appearance, particularly with its old inns.
Now there is one problem with the above, for the name of the Cathedral that they use is not strictly true. It ought to be "The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary" - which was told by W.D. & H.O. Wills on their truly beautiful set of "Cathedrals", issued six years before our above card in 1933.
We featured another card from this set as our Card of the Day for December 14th, 2023 - where you will find a description of the set.
Our next card shows something you may not see on your visit - though you can, if you are staying on for a few days before or after our event, as it is included in their daily tours, which take place every day but Sunday.
And you do not even have to climb the tower for it is now housed on the ground floor.
This is "Salisbury Cathedral Clock (1386) - the oldest surviving mechanical clock in England." as shown to us on card 14 of Ringtons Tea`s "Then and Now".
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